The Bending of Souls
by JadeyCrazy1
Summary: A waterbender named Kaya joins the Avatar and his friends on their quest to save the world, discovering things she never knew. A special secret is locked up tight, one she didn't even realize she had. Friendships are put to the test, spirits broken, and the true value of her life is questioned. Will Kaya be left in the dirt after they discover her dark secret? (HIATUS)
1. Prologue: The Night Before

A/N: Dedicated to my friend Amelia, who is the person who got me fully hooked on Avatar. That, and the fact I don't know where I'd be without ya. Thank you for all your support through these years, girly.

* * *

[Kaya= Kay-yuh]

* * *

A girl sat in the near darkness, poking at the flames she had carefully crafted. Outside the air temple she roasted her food, making sure to keep whatever leftovers she could to prevent any chance of being spotted by frequent smoke. Not that anyone ever came to the air temples anymore, but fear of being discovered and wrongly executed hung over her like a cloud on a dreary day. Always there, threatening rain.

One scarred hand reached forwards, prodding her food with a stick before she proceeded to turn it over. How far she'd sank, from eating like royalty to starving on scraps. How had this even happened? Once, she'd lived in the very heart of the fire nation, dining on fine foods and bowing to the Fire Lord Ozai himself. She'd befriended his son, hated his daughter, and thought of his wife as a caring aunt of sorts. Mai and Ty Lee's visits had been less than desirable. Mai's dreariness even as a child a real wet blanket, and Ty Lee's girly style nearly overwhelming. Too often, the perky girl had tried to toss her pretty outfits and get her to try them on. A few times, she complied, but soon found the laughter of the princess far too humiliating to bear.

Zuko had been okay though, and she'd helped him get over the bullying the other girls put him through. Back then, they had thought on the same wavelength, shared secrets and told stories… Now, well, she'd gotten word he'd become ruthless just like his crazy sister.

The girl furiously stabbed the poker into the flames at the thought of Azula, how sadistic and cruel that girl was. Azula made it her business to kick the girl out of the palace as soon as possible, and had done just that.

She had been sitting outside a window, enjoying the summer breeze in her hair when she heard it. "Kaya's mother is a waterbending spy!" Azula had shouted that day, and all eyes turned to the child. "I saw her teaching her rat kid how to use the power, telling her how they'd bring down the fire nation from the inside."

Scared and frantic, the girl known as Kaya rushed to her mother's side, begging her to flee the land.

"They have no proof," Her mother had said to her father, who had returned to their chambers for the evening.

Her father was furious, shaking with rage and some emotion Kaya could not identify. "The word of the princess is proof enough, they'll have you executed."

So, at the age of twelve, Kaya was uprooted from her home and thrust into the wild world. Her father claimed to know nothing of his wife being a spy, and managed to keep his place in the nation. She traveled with her mother, support coming from her father in way of secret letters and money delivered to them in their times of need. Any other time, they found a town and they worked. They worked until their hands bled and they could no longer keep their eyes open.

Two years passed, and Kaya was trained in the ways of waterbending. She thought she was strong enough to take on the world, but this belief perished when bounty hunters captured her mother. Kaya was taken as well, but escaped, her mother nowhere she could find. She searched for months, but found no signs of her loved one. Hope dwindled, and she made her own way through life.

Now, at the age of fifteen, she lived in the southern air temple. The place having been abandoned for years made it perfect, for no one would come up here. Even if they could, they would have refused. Kaya made it here in a stroke of pure luck, and with this turn of events, she had decided not to leave.

With companionship of her mind and few, fleeting moments with animals, she lived peacefully, taking from the land in cautious manners. She took from the world, but did not damage it. Kaya studied the ways of the airbenders, conducting experiments and following their ways. Most of the things here required some skill of airbending to be used, which caused several problems. Still, she worked around them, being cautious not to ruin the ancient building.

Old papers had her handwriting scrawled across it; her theories built and crossed out then built again. She wanted freedom, wanted to conduct her research in places that could give further insight, but knew that she could not leave. An orphaned child, spouting nonsense beliefs is what she would wind up being if she left. She'd be shipped away, never to have her freedom again.

Snapping from her swirling thoughts, she salvaged the food just before it was burned, setting it on a plate to cool. There were little ingredients left, and the soil she worked so hard to cultivate was loosing its fertility. Soon, she would have to leave. There would be no choice.

Notebook in hand, she wrote in the firelight, taking bites of the sustenance her body needed to live. How much easier things would be if she didn't have to eat.

She fell asleep like this, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, notebook in her lap. Before the fire, she rested, and after it burned down, she awoke; groggily going to the place she called her room.


	2. First Meetings

The next morning her eyes shot open at an awful sound. Someone was yelling, crying out. A loud boom echoed through the halls, the winds whipping the snow up furiously and sending it through the windows and into the floor of her room. Kaya was up in an instant, her weapons in hand. Cautiously, she worked her way outside.

In the courtyard was a boy, floating a good ways off the ground.

A dark haired girl pushed through the wind towards him, calling out his name. The air engulfed the noise, making the name unable to be heard. Kaya crouched in safety, watching the scene play out.

It hit her then, the sudden realization as the boy slowly sank to the ground. He was the Avatar, and she had just witnessed a sliver of his true power. Her breath hitched, eyes narrowed. The Avatar had been missing for a hundred years, most likely wiped out with the destruction of the air nomads. The cycle was supposed to have been broken.

But…

Something in her heart told her otherwise. She knew this was him and not just some fluke of power. He had a strong spirit, a powerful soul.

After some time for them to recollect themselves, Kaya slowly stepped out of hiding, breaking the trio's emotional moment. In her patchwork airbender clothes, shaggy hair and grimy self, she must have looked like a lunatic. The boy with a ponytail took a fighting stance, raising his boomerang weapon defensively, followed by the girl moving the bald monk behind her.

He was an airbender.

He shouldn't exist.

But it filled her with hope that he did.

Cautiously, Kaya lowered her dual daggers to the ground and held her hands up to show she meant no harm. Her voice was rusty, yet she forced words from the unused muscles. It cracked at first, and a shallow cough came from her lips. Kaya had to clear her throat before she could really speak, and even then it was scratchy. "I don't know what you're doing here, but I want to help."

From the deepest depths of her heart, she meant it. In her traveling, she had seen how ruined the world was. Now, after her studies, it meant so much more. Kaya wanted to restore balance, and wanted to topple the tyrant Fire Lord from his throne. And though it was wrong, she wanted revenge on those who had unjustly punished her family.

"Nice try, but that's not happening." Ponytail said, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. He was playing leader, when they all knew who the choice was up to.

Kaya's eyes drifted to the Avatar. "Are you an airbender?" He asked, a glint of hope in his otherwise dull eyes. He was broken, alone, yet still held fast to the belief his kind weren't all gone. Even in these ruins, the evidence clear, he still tried.

Ever so slightly, she shook her head. One word came from her already tired mouth. "Waterbender."

His face fell again, shoulders slumping forwards. It seemed as her hope sparked, his had crumpled.

"I have food," She said, trying to brighten things and gain their trust. With help of the  
Avatar she could get out of here, could get revenge on Azula for ruining her life. "And shelter, even though this seems to have been your home."

"Listen, I don't think—" Poinytail was cut off by the other girl.

"Let's hear her out, it's not like we have many allies at the moment."

The boy made an exasperated noise, and some rather comical frustrated movements, but he did not reject her idea. His boomerang was put back in its place, and he trudged away, mumbling.

"Don't mind Sokka," she continued, giving a half smile. "He just has a superiority complex."

* * *

Less than an hour later, they were inside around a fire, Aang showing Kaya how to work several devices with airbending. She was intrigued, quickly jotting notes down as he demonstrated. Though it was rude, she could not help but to ask questions as Sokka carefully cooked their food.

The girl known as Katara explained what had happened, how they had found Aang in an iceberg and discovered he was the Avatar. She laid out their whole journey up until now, though it was not yet a long adventure, it was intriguing. Kaya listened intently, and managed to say nothing at the mention of Zuko.

He was crazy, trying to abduct a mere child to give to his father in way of some stupid quest. It seemed the last near-sane member of the royal family had cracked, leaving more splinters in the rest of the world.

Aang wove jokes into the tales, and Kaya knew it was in an attempt to brighten himself up rather than make everyone else laugh. Such a sad boy, he was troubled by so much already. One hundred and twelve years old, ripped from his own time and thrust into a different world entirely. Now he had to save this place, and didn't even get much of a choice in the matter. It was heartbreaking, but Kaya felt no remorse. It was his job, as hers was to finally crack the code in her secretive research.

"We're going to go to Kyoshi Island now so I can ride the giant koi fish!" Aang cheered, trying to remain happy throughout their visit. He grinned, taking a bite of the fresh food Sokka had laid out in front of him.

Forcing a smile to her face, Kaya faked happiness for the child. "That sounds fun, Aang. It really does." She had no knowledge of the world outside, other than where the major cities were, and even those she did not know how to get to. How grand it must have been, to have a flying bison you could ride anywhere. They could just go, and go, never tethered down by the things Kaya was held by.

"Hey, you have any meat?" Sokka asked, rummaging through a bag hopefully. He had looked disgusted while making the vegetables and starches, and less than pleased when Kaya hadn't brought meat up earlier.

"Don't be rude." Katara chided her brother, but Kaya waved the matter away.

"No, I'm a vegetarian." She said, shrugging her shoulders. With the studying of the Air Nomad's culture, she had adapted to their ways, their diet even. Sokka blinked, looking only slightly less than heartbroken.

"Me too." Aang piped in, taking more bites of the roasted vegetables.

Kaya nodded, pulling her own plate of food closer to her and taking a bite. "I know. In my time here, I've studied the history of your kind. Also, I've tried to keep everything as it was while cleaning it. Have I done okay with that?"

"You've done great, actually. It's like… it's like they still take care of it." His face fell, and Katara put an arm around his shoulders.

"We need to be leaving soon, but thank you for your hospitality, Kaya." She said, her food untouched. Though she was trying to be nice about it, her distrust was clear and painful. Why had she even insisted on humoring Kaya in the first place?

Kaya's eyes flicked down to Aang. Katara was worried about him, and she had wanted to make sure he would be okay. That had to have been it. Just a few days together and they were already so close.

"What hospitality? There's no meat!" Sokka cried, glumly stuffing a bit of veggies into his mouth. Kaya doubted even that would keep him quiet.

They were going to just up and go, leaving her here alone again. After seeing other people, hearing talk of Aang's plans in the world… Kaya couldn't just sit here. If she went out with these people, she could conduct studies with solid evidence, search for her mother. This was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.

"Let me come with you, please." She said suddenly, sitting up straighter. Her heart ached to be out of this place, soul cried for companionship. Even if they just allowed her to stick around for a few days, she would be more than satisfied with the turn of events.

Katara gave her a sad look. "I don't think that would be a good idea…"

"Please." Kaya pleaded, defeat already beginning to creep into her voice. In her mind, she was pleading not Katara, but to Aang to just convince the others to allow her to join. "Even if it's just for a few days. If I get in the way, you can just push me right off Appa's back. I just need to get out of here."

"We don't need dead weight." Sokka opposed at the same time Aang said, "I don't see why you shouldn't come!" The two exchanged glances, Sokka scowling while the monk grinned. Her prayers had been heard, it seemed, Aang was on her side.

"I think you'll be helpful." The airbender continued, looking back over at the waterbender girl. "Besides, you've gotta be lonely up here."

"Thank you, thank you!" Kaya cried, grateful for saviors. She flung her arms around Aang, pulling him into a quick, awkward hug before once again releasing the boy.

Freedom. The word was on the tip of her tongue. For the first time since she'd lost her mother, Kaya could feel the glimmers of hope, the spark of freedom bubbling through her chest. With promises of her quick return, she went to put up the things she wouldn't need, and pack that she would use. Beneath her bed was a bag that had not seen the light of day since she had first came to this place, now it was out and being stuffed with supplies for another adventure. A smile was stretched across her face, excitement coursing through her veins. She'd be out of this place.

She piled clothes into the pack, followed by what little money she had, and her daggers. It wasn't much, and the bag was half empty. At least the others could use it if they needed the extra holding space. She pulled one more bag out, one the trio could pack food supplies into if they wished to take anything from here. Kaya certainly hoped they did, and that they would be smart about what food they brought with them. It'd be terrible to wind up having to go hungry because they had failed to be prepared.

As a last thought, she quickly threw the last thing she had to remind her of her family into her bag: a painting of herself, mother, and father. A fear was threatening to push through her and break her down, but she steeled herself and pushed it away. Fear would do no good on this journey.

She returned just as soon as she'd promised, bag slung over her shoulders and a plate of sweets in her hands. She had planned on serving desert after their meal, and had stuck fast to that idea. Outside the door she hesitated.

"Stop yelling at me! I don't know why I invited her, she just seemed like she needed out of this place." Aang's voice came, seeping between the cracks of the wood and flowing freely into Kaya's ears. They were arguing about her. In the hall, she crouched beside the door, wrongly eavesdropping.

"Yes, let's just invite the girl who may or may not be a lunatic because she 'seems like she needs out'. Great plan, Aang. Perfect plan. If she murders us in our sleep we'll know its okay because she's free now." Sokka said in retaliation, sarcasm coating his every word. She could hear him pacing, his feet hitting the floor in a pattern that wove a circle around the carpet they had all sat upon. Her eyes widened, they couldn't leave her here!

Katara was next to speak, her voice soft and kind. Kaya could barely make out what she was saying but still managed. "We can't let her come with us. It's not safe."

"I know, but…"

At this very moment, for fear of being bumped from her new place at the Avatar's side, Kaya stood up and stepped through the door. Her earlier happiness was seemingly back on her face, but was nothing more than a mask that the others would be unable to see through. "I brought deserts." She said, holding the tray of day old pastries out for them to see. The room fell silent at her sudden appearance, but she acted as if she didn't notice. Grinning, she sat back down at her earlier spot and laid the food before Aang and Katara.

Katara gave a half-hearted smile, reaching out and taking one.

Sokka, however, seemed more than pleased with the new snack, rushing over and picking up a small cake like food. He took a bite from it, then his eyes widened slightly and he took another. Mouth full, he spoke, "These are great!"

Aang took a cautious bite from the snack in his hand, and then had a similar reaction to Sokka's. Well, maybe her cooking skills could get her somewhere in this group's heart...


	3. Kyoshi Island

_**A/N: Sorry for taking so long on the update, I've been kind of writing like half a dozen different fanfictions... not the best when one is easily distracted and quite lazy.**_

* * *

The four children and one newly named lemur clambered onto the back of Appa once all was said and done, Sokka and Katara less than pleased with Kaya's tagging along. Still, she acted as if she didn't notice and seated herself on a clear spot in the large saddle. Aang was excited to show yet another person what Aapa could do, and told her to be prepared before he gave the signature command of "yip yip." Kaya had read about Flying Bison, certainly, but actually experiencing it was something else. He rose from the ground with a low rumble, and almost immediately they were soaring.

The feeling of flying was undoubtedly the best thing ever. Her stomach dropped at the sudden height change, but soon it felt as if it were just Kaya and the wind whipping through her hair. She couldn't help the slight, nervously happy laugh that escaped her lips as she watched the air temple fade behind them.

She quickly secured the loose strands of her light hair, glancing over at Aang. Spirits, it must have been great to be able to do this on your own with nothing more than a glider as a tether. Her eyes flicked over the edge of the saddle, omitting out the edge of the furry white creature and focusing solely on the ground below.

"So, how old are you? What's _your_ story, Kaya?" Sokka asked, none too nicely. Distrust had layered his every word from the moment they'd met, and that didn't cease now she was a companion on their journey.

Her attention pulled from the whole flying thing and, ignoring his second question, she replied. "I'm fifteen, if you really need to know that."

"Story?" He sounded unsatisfied, which seemed reasonable.

"Family got torn apart, had to find my own way." She said shortly, the fuse on the bomb of her emotions just lit. If he pressed further, she'd either wind up exploding, or completely shut down. Kaya continued without hesitation, aiming her words at Aang now. "This whole flying bison thing, is it a type of bending for them?" She was rummaging through her bag now, searching for something to write down his answers on.

"Yeah, that's how we learned airbending. Bison like Aapa were the original benders, and the first human airbenders learned from them." Aang chirped, glancing back over his shoulder at the passengers. Katara was trying to calm down Sokka, who had just begun freaking out over getting hit in the face with a bug, while Kaya sat relaxed in her place.

"I wonder how they do it…" he heard her mumble as she scratched words out along her notebook. The paper was yellowing and near covered with drawings and writing, dried plants and small, flat objects lie stuck beneath pages.

Katara, now having given up trying to get her brother to shut up, leaned over and cautiously peered down at the pages. "What's this?" She asked, pointing to a rather strange drawing of a person. He was tall, slender, and not completely human looking. A pair of extra arms jutted from his back like wings, legs having more than the few joints than we humans are given. His muscular torso looked normal, but his face was definitely not. No human face should be able to look that attractive, even as a sketch.

"I don't know, actually." Kaya said, glancing down and then away from it. "You can keep it if you want, he freaks me out."

"Wait," Sokka said, suddenly interested as well. "Didn't you draw that?"

Kaya shrugged as if drawing something so precisely meant nothing, though it seemed she had put hours into perfecting all the little details. She finished jotting down something about bison, then closed her notebook.

Sokka's eyes caught one word as the pages began to flutter shut, one word that caused him to stick his fingers into the book before Kaya could tie it closed again. _Power_. Without her permission, though she didn't stop him, he opened the book back up and pulled it out of her grasp. "What is this?" He asked her, flicking through the words that seemed like the ramblings of a madwoman.

Gently, Kaya reached over and took the book from him. She seemed calm, but the anger was clear in her face. "My life, okay? I like studying."

"But it says you think the elements are connected…"

"What? They're all totally different." Katara piped in, looking confused at the two's conversation.

"No, they're not all that different." Aang said from the front, but Kaya acted as if she didn't notice.

"They are connected, okay? You have to look deeper than the surface. If someone could figure out how to control them, someone other than the Avatar…"

"Stop, okay? Just stop." Sokka said, Katara looking as if she'd been stabbed. "That sort of power isn't something to be tampered with. No one should be that powerful other than the Avatar."

"That's like having a world of non-benders and saying only one should be able to bend and decide the fate of the world. You wouldn't be able to get things done as easily, and having the power all in one person wouldn't be right." Kaya said.

"But you can't have everyone running around being overpowered." Katara said, snapping out of her funk. "The world would be a disaster."

"Like it isn't already." Kaya replied sourly, before slipping the notebook back into her bag. "I'm done talking about this." Like a child, she retreated away from an argument she knew she couldn't win. Arguing would do no good, she'd just have to show them one day.

* * *

"Check it out, Katara!" Aang cried from his place in the bay. Currently, he was on the back of a giant Koi fish, grinning from ear to ear as they raced through the water. Katara seemed okay with it, though slightly concerned for him.

The whole ride to Kyoshi had been relatively quiet, Kaya refusing to speak and the others being wary of her. She'd apologized once they had gotten close, saying she was sorry for still nursing her childish dreams. Lying, she said the whole idea of everyone being able to bend all the elements was just a rambling from her younger self. Seeing as all that was in the front of the book, rather than where she had been writing more recently, they believed her. Quickly, she dropped the subject before anyone could press further into it.

Now, she wandered away from the group and into the trees off the cove. Her mind was a whirl at the change in scenery. Small animals skittered through the leaves, flapped through trees, basically did everything any other animal would do. Kaya watched them quietly, head cocking to the side as she evaluated their movements. Most of the animals seemed fine with her presence, not in the least bit wary, which came as quite a surprise. Well, maybe she could open a pet store when she got older.

A twig snapped somewhere behind her, and her mind suddenly sharpened with the quick rush of fear that so often accompanied strange noises. Slowly, she turned. This was proven to do no good, for still a hand wrapped around her mouth and a blindfold went over her eyes. She kicked and struggled, but made no contact in any of her attempted blows.

* * *

She came to a little bit later, her mind slowly waking at the sound of her so-called friends speaking. Her mind was fuzzy, vision still dark. Everything sounded muffled, felt rather… spinny. It was as if something was wrapped around her mind, tying her senses to the point she could barely use them. Opening her eyes revealed darkness, though there was no blindfold over her eyes anymore. A breeze whipped her hair around, blasted her bindings free. She knew this was Aang, but couldn't convince her body to do anything other than slump to the ground.

There, on her knees, something whispered in the back of her head. How dare she get captured, how dare she be so weak… how dare she lie to people she was trying to get to trust her. How dare she actually think of abandoning her studies.

Her palms rested flat on the ground, fingers digging into the earth. A hand was placed gently on her shoulder, slowly dragging her from her darkening thoughts. The person cautiously shook her, the muffled voices becoming clearer.

"Kaya? Kaya, are you okay?" It was Katara, trying to get her to snap out of it.

"We didn't hit her," Said the voice of another girl. Something on the ground shifted, and she knew someone else was crouching in front of her. She could feel the pressure on the earth, the slight vibrations running through the dirt. "She fainted somehow or another, so we carried her out."

Kaya blinked several times, focusing her breathing. Another moment, and her vision snapped into focus. She could feel her pupils shying away from the sudden brightness of the sun reflecting off the sand, turning into pinpoint black spots in an attempt to adjust and save themselves. Blinking several times, she sat back, eyes hurting. "I'm okay. It's okay." What more could she say? Her hands shook as she stood. Though shaky, she remained on her feet. "Sorry."

"If anything, I should be the one apologizing." Said the heavily made-up girl before her. The woman was dressed in green robes; her face caked in makeup that made her true self nearly impossible to see.

"No, it's fine. Really." Kaya said. Katara put her hand on the other waterbender's shoulder again, but she shrugged it off.

Kaya's hands fluttered to her sides, searching for the small satchel she had tucked away in the bottom of her bag; the satchel that held her notebook. With a jolt, she realized it wasn't there. "My pack," She said suddenly, her fist clenching air by her side. "Where is it?"

"I…"

"Maybe it fell off when the Kyoshi warriors grabbed us. We'll find it, don't worry." Katara cut in, making sure to give a reassuring nod in the direction of the unnamed girl.

Kaya's heart clenched at the thought of her notebook just lying out there for something to nab up—her life work in the hands of the wilderness. Or worse, another person might find it. Though she was clearly not well, her studies all too suddenly felt more important than her health.

_How dare you._

"Take me to find it. Please." Kaya directed to the Kyoshi warrior, eyes pleading with depth beyond that would be possible if this were just any mere notebook. She wished she could go on her own, but didn't know the lay of the land, or what lie in the wilderness of the island.

"Calm down, I'll get someone to go look for it. You need to sit down for a while." Said the girl, cautiously pulling Kaya away from where she stood and into the nearby house where Sokka and Aang had gone. Despite her protests, it did no good to resist the other.

Time passed. Aang gathered fangirls, Katara became annoyed with this, and Kaya got better. The girl that she had met that first day—now known as Suki—did send someone to find the satchel, and it was retrieved quickly. Kaya could feel the relief flooding through her the moment her fingers opened the cloth to reveal her studies inside. A breath of air she hadn't realized she'd been holding relaxed from her lungs, the fear evaporating.

With the satchel back at her side, Kaya went out to explore the town some. Soon, she had discovered the place where the Kyoshi warriors trained, and was greeted by a sight of them practicing fighting with fans.

"Fans?" She asked, stepping through the open door into the dojo-like room. Her eyes scanned over the very greenly dressed warriors, wondering if those clothes were thick and hot during the summer.

Suki smiled as she moved, glancing over at Kaya when she spoke. "Yes, fans. They're actually quite good weapons."

"Hm."

"Want to try them?" Suki stopped, turning to fully face the waterbender.

Kaya blinked a few times, trying to figure out if she were serious. The fans would be definitely different than her daggers, and would require different yet similar skills. The balance and swiftness would be needed, along with spirits knows what else. "Really?"

"Really." She held a pair of fans out to Kaya, watching as she cautiously took them into her hands, opening then closing them. She spun the weapons around in her fingers, trying to get a feel for them. "Block my blows." Suki continued as the others went on with their routine. With that, she came at Kaya.

Reflexively, Kaya's arm darted up, blocking Suki's fan with her own. It was good, except for the fact her other side was open. The warrior quickly exploited this weakness, sending the waterbender toppling.

Kaya huffed when she hit the ground, her lip poking out ever so slightly. Laughing, Suki helped her back up. "That was good, but you have to stay focused and light on your feet. Think of the fans as an extension of your arm, not just another clunky weapon."

Nodding, Kaya went at it again.

* * *

A few hours passed before Sokka showed up, apologizing for interrupting the Kyoshi Warrior's 'dance lesson'. Kaya had joined in on their routine, enjoying the free-flowing movements they were using. She'd progressed greatly with the fans, and they even gave her a pair of her own. They'd be good to use if anything ever happened to her other weapons.

Everything came to a screeching halt when Sokka intruded, wondering if he could practice. Grinning slyly, Suki challenged him to a quick fight. After he went down—which took only seconds—Kaya shook her head disappointedly. The sexist dude sure talked big, but didn't have anything to back up his words.

"Listen, I'm going to split." She said, trying to bite back her smile. "I feel you should only have one amateur in here at once."

"You're not an amateur anymore." One of the other girls chimed, giving Kaya a pat on the back as she left.

Really, all the waterbender girl wanted to do was to find some new clothes. This whole used airbender clothes thing really wasn't working out. They were baggy, uncomfortable, and had some rather unsightly holes. In the fresh air, her mind cleared and she went in search of a shop. She found one rather quickly, and the lady did not seemed at all bothered by the lack of money. "If you're a friend of the Avatar, giving you a outfit is no big thing." She had said, before whisking Kaya inside in search of proper clothes.

The shopkeeper made Kaya try on half a dozen different things, all too dressy and uncomfortable for her taste. Everything was so… formal, which seemed silly. She was on an adventure, after all. She insisted on scouring the shop without direction, and soon found something suited to her taste. It was a black outfit with blue trim, rather simple and easy to move in. The clothes were tight without being uncomfortable, which would serve well to keep from getting caught on branches or something. The merchant _tsked_ in disapproval, but also gave her a pair of black flats and a cowl to go with it.

"You might as well go with the full ninja look, if you're taking that." She said. So Kaya did, even going as far as scooping up a pair of black gloves.

"Listen, honey, no one will even talk to you if you wear that." The merchant continued, pulling out some baggier clothes with similar designs to her new outfit. Basically, it was just a simple shirt and pants. Despite her protests, Kaya was eventually convinced to change into the clothing.

Deciding the outfit thing hadn't burned enough antisocial time; Kaya went for a walk, sticking to paths yet branching off away from the town. She walked until her feet ached, then sat down and began writing. Instead of writing research, she wrote a short diary entry, then began speculating on her earlier black out.

_How dare you_. The words danced on the back of her mind, a voice she'd never heard had spoken them, had scolded her. What in the world had that even been? For once, her hand hesitated above the pages, unsure of how to fathom her thoughts into written words. Shakily, she set the pen down. This was new, the sudden writer's block. Not once in her life had she suffered from such a thing.

Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the tree she was sat beneath, letting the breeze wisp over her skin. It was a nice day, despite the rather major climate change from the air temple to the island. Kaya took slow breaths, just appreciating the unfamiliarity of it.

Even when she had been a traveler, there was no time to stop and enjoy things, not even for a few measly seconds. Her mother had assured her that there was, but Kaya had never seen the sense in "stopping to smell the roses". When her family worked themselves to the bone, she did too.

At the sound of a commotion down from the beach, Kaya shot up from her sitting place. Over the top of the trees, she could see it. The Unagi. Poor Aang was just a speck on the serpent, flailing wildly as he tried to regain himself and find some source of control. Kaya rushed down the hill she was atop, sliding down it and rather terribly scraping her palms. Before she could reach the beach, there was another path she had to cross. On this path, she ran right into them.

Fire Nation soldiers.

* * *

Even from a distance, he could have spotted her. That odd, golden mane still hung freely around her face, setting her apart from everyone else. Though it had been years, Prince Zuko easily recognized his childhood friend as she darted out in front of him and his men. It was a shock, to find her alive. Doubts had riddled his thoughts of her from the very moment she left. There had been no word of her after Azula's outrageous accusation, so Zuko had assumed they perished in the lands outside the Fire Nation.

Her eyes widened as she caught sight of him, and he knew he was recognized as well, even with the scar that now maimed him. Her mouth opened, then shut as a blast of fire was flung directly at her head. Zuko's attention snapped away from her and over to his men. "Leave her." He commanded, watching her figure dart away. Why had she come to stay in Kyoshi Island, of all places?

* * *

Breathing ragged and hands shaking, Kaya fled the scene of her near-demise. While being caught up in trying to recognize Zuko, she'd almost been killed by one of his men. The whole weight of the situation couldn't even catch up with her, couldn't yet bear down enough to crush her very being like it so desired.

Zuko was alive, and she hadn't the faintest idea of what he might do in his search for Aang. He wouldn't hurt people, would he? Her footsteps skidded to a halt, heels grinding into the dirt. It'd been years; he might be different than the boy she had known so long ago.

She could smell it now, the smoke. With the black cloud rising up from the village, her doubts were no longer doubts but fact. Zuko didn't give a damn anymore. Aang was flung from the Unagi, possibly hurt, and the Kyoshi warriors might not be able to handle this all on their own.

Before she knew it, Kaya was running right into the thick of things.

Upon reaching the village, she discovered basically all the homes were on fire. Zuko was trying to bait Aang from his hiding place, but Kaya knew something had to be wrong. Aang would be here, trying to help everyone, unless something had happened. Oh, spirits, that boy better be okay.

There was a scream to her right. An older woman was outside a house, watching it crumple in the fire. She called out a name, but there was no response. Before Kaya could really figure out what she was doing, she rushed forwards, leaping over a burning beam and flinging herself into the wreckage of the house.

Silence hung in the air around the mother; she heard nothing but her frantic heartbeat and the crackling of the flames. Even with the whole town in panic, she could do nothing but focus on the spot that girl had jumped through. Her muscles were stiff, petrified with terror. Her child was in there, burning. And that girl… she'd die too. Tears slid down her cheeks. Seconds drug by like hours, and her hope quickly dwindled.

Kaya emerged coughing, her golden hair darkened with ash. In her arms was a small boy, clutching to a toy and bawling his eyes out with fear. She stumbled over the burning logs, careful not to catch the child or cause him any more damage. Outside, she found his mother. The woman rushed to them and pulled the boy from her grip. Crying, hugging, and thank-yous ensued.

"Don't thank me, just get out of here! Go!" Kaya gave the woman a push, directing her to the rest of the villagers running away. She didn't even stick around to see what would happen, just darted in the direction she knew Zuko was in.

He was there, in the middle of everything, being a douche. That sweet boy she had known seemed to have vanished with her own disappearance, his anger clawing through that child's very being and snuffing it out. All the lives he was ruining, people he was killing… it hurt Kaya to think about.

"Zuko!" She called, stepping out from behind the post she had stood beside. "You don't have to do this, just walk away."

His eyes locked onto her immediately, narrowing to slits. She swallowed down the lump rising in her throat at the way he looked at her, like a predator sizing up its prey.

"You want me to vanish like you did?" He hissed, and then did what she least expected. Good old Prince Zuko attacked her.

Kaya rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast of fire aimed for her face. From the nearby fountain, she drew up a lob of water and hurled it at him, freezing his arms and legs to the wood of a building. This had caught him off guard, having forgotten she was a waterbender and never actually having seen her bend caused a small shock. All too soon, he was recovered.

"I won't let you have him." She was well rooted, water swirling about in front of her. On her life, she wouldn't let Zuko get close to Aang or any of the others.

"You're a friend of the Avatar." It wasn't a question, but an aloud realization. The ice melted from his body, and he came for her again.

The duel was on, both shooting attacks at each other then countering quickly. Kaya could feel little fissures spreading through her very being, cracking her heart to pieces. Her old friend was trying to kill her. She didn't last long without help, getting caught off guard by another one of Zuko's men. The waterbender was blasted backwards, back hitting a building. She crumpled. If only it had been just the two of them, instead of having another firebender pull a low blow like that.

Suki came for Zuko next, followed by Sokka and another Kyoshi warrior. They were attacking him like true warriors, but weren't having the best of luck. Zuko managed to fling them all away, his anger bubbling over.

"Hey!" A voice called out. "Leave them alone!"

"Finally." Zuko said, ever so slightly pleased.

Kaya was drifting in and out of consciousness, a knot welling on her head. Between her flashes of darkness, she could see Zuko and Aang battling, neither of them quite really having the upper hand.

_His rage is his fuel, and you're letting it consume you._

Her eyes danced around behind her lids, searching for the source of who was speaking. All too suddenly, she was aware she could feel things outside the norm, like Aang's nervous fear, Zuko's rage, and the townspeople's utter and complete terror.

_Get up! _The voice hissed, and Kaya's eyelids snapped open. Whatever weird connection she had a moment ago was long gone.

A hand wrapped around her arm, tugging her upwards. "Come on." It was Sokka, attempting to pull her to her feet. "We need to get out of here. Zuko will leave the village alone if we go." She nodded in reply, and attempted to get her body to move a bit better, to follow her commands and not just fall right over.

The two made it to Appa and Katara, quickly clambering onto the back of the giant beast. Sokka called out to Aang, convincing him to join in the tactful retreat. He glided up to them, landing in the saddle, breathing heavily.

"Aang, the Unagi." Kaya suggested, looking back at the fires consuming the town. They must have had a pretty good silent understanding, because the Avatar quickly leaped from the back of his bison and down into the water

Kaya caught one more backwards glance at the water showering over the city, a sigh of relief passing through her lips. They were safe, although a bit ruined.


End file.
